Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers for 2026

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

It's here! Our annual list of the year's
best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.

2026 IS HERE!


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Boston Marathon Qualifying Times & Standards (1970-2027)

Looking for Boston Marathon qualifying times?

Boston Marathon qualifying times are age and category-based marathon standards set by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) for the right to register for Boston aech year. In high-demand years runners must beat those times by an additional cutoff to be accepted.

This page provides a complete historical reference of Boston Marathon qualifying times from 1970 through 2027, including:

Use the year selector below to view BQ standards by age group and category from 1970–2027, plus cutoffs (time under standard) when applicable.

Qualification Standards for the 2027 Boston Marathon

2027 Boston Marathon Cut-Off: 5:17
Meeting the published BQ standard did not guarantee acceptance. Qualified applicants needed to run at least 5 minutes, 17 seconds faster than their age/category standard to be accepted. A total of 25,630 qualifiers were accepted and 8,019 qualified applicants were not accepted. The tables below show both the published BQ standard and the minimum accepted time after applying the 5:17 cut-off.

2027 Boston Marathon Downhill Indexing Penalty

  • Add 5 minutes to finish times for races with a net-elevation loss between 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) and 2,999 feet (914.1 meters).
  • Add 10 minutes to finish times for races with a net-elevation loss between 3,000 feet (914.2 meters) and 5,999 feet (1,828.5 meters).
  • Any course with a net-downhill of 6,000 feet (1,828.6 meters) or greater will no longer be allowed for Boston Marathon qualifying purposes.

Men's Standards

Age Group Qualification Time (BQ) Minimum Accepted Time (BQ - 5:17)
18-34 2:55:00 2:49:43
35-39 3:00:00 2:54:43
40-44 3:05:00 2:59:43
45-49 3:15:00 3:09:43
50-54 3:20:00 3:14:43
55-59 3:30:00 3:24:43
60-64 3:50:00 3:44:43
65-69 4:05:00 3:59:43
70-74 4:20:00 4:14:43
75-79 4:35:00 4:29:43
80+ 4:50:00 4:44:43

Women's Standards

Age Group Qualification Time (BQ) Minimum Accepted Time (BQ - 5:17)
18-34 3:25:00 3:19:43
35-39 3:30:00 3:24:43
40-44 3:35:00 3:29:43
45-49 3:45:00 3:39:43
50-54 3:50:00 3:44:43
55-59 4:00:00 3:54:43
60-64 4:20:00 4:14:43
65-69 4:35:00 4:29:43
70-74 4:50:00 4:44:43
75-79 5:05:00 4:59:43
80+ 5:20:00 5:14:43

Non-Binary Standards

Age Group Qualification Time (BQ) Minimum Accepted Time (BQ - 5:17)
18-34 3:25:00 3:19:43
35-39 3:30:00 3:24:43
40-44 3:35:00 3:29:43
45-49 3:45:00 3:39:43
50-54 3:50:00 3:44:43
55-59 4:00:00 3:54:43
60-64 4:20:00 4:14:43
65-69 4:35:00 4:29:43
70-74 4:50:00 4:44:43
75-79 5:05:00 4:59:43
80+ 5:20:00 5:14:43